Comedy in DC: Gimme Some Variety

Photo courtesy of
‘Last night at Dr. Dremos – 35’ Hampton Yount
courtesy of ‘Aaron Webb’

Mid summer ( I KNOW, HOW IS IT THE MIDDLE OF JULY ALREADY?!) is kind of a weird time for comedy. The college audiences that fuel the smaller shows have gone home, but that also means that bored comics get… experimental.

In practice, that usually just means some other stuff mixed in with the comedy but in the case of the “There Will Be Laughter” show at the Drafthouse on Friday the 31st, it could get a little weird.  Hampton Yount and Will Hessler are putting it on. Both are quite funny and have made me laugh riotously on multiple occasions. But Hampton gets… a little punchy. The last time I saw him get up (albeit for an audience made entirely of other comics, so grain of salt here), his time culminated in a sketch that involved a woman’s wig, a t-shirt with some slogan scrawled on it in black Sharpie that I can’t remember probably because I blocked it out, a basketball under his shirt, and I’m pretty sure there was a Whoopie cushion in there somewhere. Anyway, my point is, when Hampton says, “Sketches, Stand-Up, Song, Alcohol, Merriment,” it’s the merriment part you’ll remember most.

On Saturday, August 1, Speakeasy DC is hosting a storytelling bootcamp. Not standup, exactly, but storytelling skills have the same wide variety of applications that standup skills do; learning about how to weave a compelling verbal narrative will improve your professional  presentations, your persuasion skills, and yes, your standup comedy skills as well. And any class that involves spoken word in front of an audience will chip away at any fear of public speaking you may have.

Just announced (seriously, like last night) is the first-ever DC Comedy Lab at the Comedy Spot in Ballston. Jimmy Meritt and Spencer Humm will be producing what they hope will be a regular showcase. This edition will have Ruthe Charles and Dusty Dzambo as musical guests, and it looks like the full lineup hasn’t been announced yet. I’ll be interested to see how this one turns out, as I haven’t seen Jimmy produce a show before.

And finally, Seaton Smith has released another sketch video:

Tiffany Baxendell Bridge is an Internet enthusiast and an incurable smartass. When not heckling the neighborhood political scene on Twitter, she can be found goofing off with her ukulele, Bollywood dancing, or obsessing about cult TV. She is That Woman With the Baby In the Bar.

Tiffany lives in Brookland with her husband Tom, son Charlie, and two high-maintenance cats. Read why Tiffany loves DC.

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